Air War in East Africa 1940-1941 (South African Air Force perspective)

[@kevanmallison8610]

I remember my grandfather, Captain Jack Meaker, reminiscing about flying all the way from Cape Town to England during the war. I still have his Bible and his wings.

[@davidmckab7527]

Your Grandfather fought bravely and proud!

[@dgrewar]

Thanks for sharing Tinus. My Dad was in the 5th Field Company that fought in the East Africa Campaign and then went on to survive the battle of Sidi Reze and was eventually wounded in the battle of El Alamein where he lost his right eye

[@wingnutzster]

Love your work Tinus!! There’s little acknowledgement for the South African effort in the war but it was significant and worthy of being haled and remembered

[@slapitman]

Hi Tinus, so lovely to see the effort you put into these animations and reels. My grandfather was a SAAF pilot in the war and fought in north, east africa and later europe and I believe he flew Hurricanes in the above offensive. He was awarded the distinguished flying cross as a result and later flew Spitfires and Mustangs on the march to Berlin. The SAAF don't get a major mention in the second world war yet played a vital role in securing territories that supported the fuel lines towards europe and sadly many airmen who lost their lives may go to be forgotten. To this day I still have many of my grandfathers effects during that conflict and they serve me well as a reminder of the role South Africans played in defending our liberties in that awful conflict. Thank you for the wonderful work you have undertaken to keep his memory alive.

[@bogbrek01]

Good job on the documentary, i saw you have many videos about the air war in East Africa, but you never mentioned the Mario Visintini, the italian fighter ace, hw shoot down 16 airplanes, also he defeated in battle the SAAF ace Kenneth Driver, and claimed it as his 17th, actually Driver's Hurricane was "only" badly damaged and he managed to get back to base.

[@Rickusty]

Very interesting video Tinus, especially in remembering SAAF's effort during WW2, which is often ignored. Thank you. Just one small suggestion: we had the Fiat CR32 as a main fighter in east africa; the CR42 was used in less numbers. It really was one of those forgotten campaigns of WW2. Well done, salute from Italy.

[@HighFlight]

Great short film. I never knew about this air campaign by the SAAF. Amazing as well that SAAF used the Junkers bombers! Nice use of mixed media as well as old and new footage. The 8mm personal film from the time is priceless. Well done.

[@1981Badfish]

It's amazing how, in 2014, you still manage to get so nice pictures from the good old il2 1946 !

[@michaelweeks9317]

Bravo and Well done Sir! I have studied WW@ for nearly 40 years and was completely in the dark about this theater,My hearty thanks for casting light upon it.

[@adrianlarkins7259]

The Cr42 had one small advantage over the Hurricane. It could turn on a tickie. Italian pilots used it to good effect.

[@AdventuresofanoldSeadog]

Great video and brilliant production.

[@KateLicker]

the CR42 actually had a mixed armament of one 12.7/.50 and one .30-grade gun at first, until the .30/303 was replaced with a second 12.7 in the Cr42bis

[@bigorangebedford]

Oh dear. Whilst I appreciate that you made this video as a tribute to South African involvement in the East African Campaign, you don't mention the Royal Air Force except to imply that they didn't take part. I suggest you read Dust Clouds in the Middle East by Christopher Shores to expand your understanding of the conflict. How do I know about it? Well my father was OC of 14 Squadron at the time, flying Wellesleys out of RAF Port Sudan and was awarded a DFC for his carefully planned raid on Massawa fuel dumps on 11th June 1940, the day after Italy declared war on Britain. A further two Squadrons of Wellesleys took part in this early part of the air war and there were RAF fighter Squadrons present as well. Please understand that I do not wish to denigrate in any way the excellent work done by the SAAF at this time, far from it as their contribution was vital, and gallantly executed. But it was a team effort. You were not alone.

[@TinusleRouxRSA]

bigorangebedford Yes you are correct, I subsequently read the book of Shores and will hopefully soon amend this video to mention more of the gallant RAF effort and also more about the gallant Italian aerial resistance with their supply line totally cut. I agree that telling the story from a SA point of view without mentioning the above is unfair. Thanks for your input!

[@bigorangebedford]

Tinus le Roux Thanks - delighted to hear that you will review the video! One Italian you might want to research is Capitano Mario Viscintini, an Italian Air Ace flying Fiat CR42's. He was one of the few that would press home his attacks on the Wellesleys and in fact he nearly killed my Dad - I have the bullets he fired in a tin here. When he finished his ammunition he would continue with mock attacks and aerobatics to impress the Wellesley crews, who (allegedly) wouldn't shoot at him and just enjoyed the show! Good to hear from you. Thanks again.

[@LevPicaresco]

+bigorangebedford His name was Visentini.

[@davidselway]

I know - I have a small tin here with some bullets Mario Visentini fired into my father's Wellesley. Damn near killed him!

[@sarkiesarkie4918]

I Salute your father, and all those known and unknown.

[@CV_CA]

If only they knew that time what will happen to their grandchildren in our time, is this they were fighting for???

[@spurgear4]

I think they would be very disappointed

[@unknownip6741]

Totale schande.

[@namelesscurmudgeon9794]

Some of the veterans lived long enough to realise that they fought on the wrong side.

[@ryanschofield2018]

There is a lot of truth to that statement. They'd watch the Italian force their grandfather's fought in North Africa play the minority card and climb corporate and political ladder's in America all the while calling the grandchildren 'white privileged' and 'racist.' kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWSWfWhjdpiLh6s

[@distantthunder12ck55]

@@namelesscurmudgeon9794 It's not so much the wrong side as they were betrayed after the war as all our nations have been.

[@chadprins98]

My uncle Abram Opperman (born 1918) from Zoar, Amalienstein, South Africa was in this war too. They fought under Commander Bernard Montgomery as they were based in Egypt. If you have more videos and photographs then please share. Thanks so much. Blessings to you.

[@bctech845]

Well done! That was a very informative & interesting video! I actually learned a lot from this! Nicely done!!

[@jamesthomas788]

Thanks for posting this video,knew very little about this forgotten theatre of WW2.

[@massimookissed1023]

Fascinating. I never knew this theatre even happened. Good to know Junkers aircraft were used against the Axis.

[@motorcop505]

Excellent documentary! Thanks for creating it and sharing this little known side of WWII.

[@jacquesmostert1713]

Tinus Thank you very much. This is a short but great documentary. We need more of this on KZbin...!!!!! I have Bob Preller’s book about the East African Campaine. Great stuff. Keep up the good documentaries and keep them rolling...!!? JacquesMostert Cape Town

[@neelstheron8471]

This is great as you do not see this on TV! Thank you for your efforts Tinus!

[@curlytheunacceptable.4298]

My Grandfather Sam Price was a Sergeant in the Royal Engineers in this campaign.

[@dominikkoscielny5317]

Well done Tinus! Congrats!

[@Veldtian1]

Another forgotten chapter of that vast, vast war. Awesome production values too!

[@GIJeff1944]

The screenshot on this video of the fighter pilot about to takeoff without a shirt on is pretty badass.

[@bezalel5421]

You did a great job with that video! Thank's for sharing.

[@ddemier]

I love your videos, keep them coming

[@oskareriksson2202]

Time ago I read the memories of alberto gobbo, an Italian master sergeant pilot in East Africa, he told that once in Sept. 1940 4 Farley of the Saaf from Kenya attacked their camp, in the confusion he with the help of a mechanic taked off with his cr32 fighter, intercepted 2 of them, 1 was damaged and another shoot down. When he returned and landed, the Saaf pilot shoot down was there at the camp, with other Italian aviators speaking with him, when he saw Gobbo he asked surprised it was you that attacked me? When Gobbo sad yes, the officers closed and they hugged.

[@abcbcde9985]

Wow... modified JU-86s being used against the axis. Who would have thought that!

[@NickGalaz]

I don know.... MAYBE THE AFRIKA CORPS USING CAPTURED TANKS FROM THE BRITISH FOR THEIR OWN USE!... Noob.

[@AmiraSmyrna]

Excellent info! Wow SA back then was super impressive!

[@garthpienaar9765]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your fantastic "bringing to life" the stories of the SAAF pilots of WW2 Tinus and commend you for doing so. Very well done. Just wondered if you have done the amazing story of the the rescue of Capt. Jack Frost by Lt, "Bob" Kershaw, and if not, don't you think it would be a fantastic story to add to your already, incredible list of videos? Best Regards

[@socratease1432]

Good work Tinus le Roux. You have taught me some significant history that is sparse in recognizing the East African campaign against the Italians way back then, good job! ,

[@BawlzOfuzz]

40 South Africans vs 300 Italians? My money is on the Saffas all day long.

[@vipertwenty249]

The speed given for the Hurricane is rather over-optimistic at 550kph - 505kph on a good day with a good example is more realistic. In actual squadron service with full war load and half fuel the top speed was commonly more in the region of 480kph.

[@romanbrough]

I read an account by an RAF Hurricane pilot who flew against the Italians in 1940 in North Africa. He described the biplanes as very manouverable and often expertly flown. But "give them a squirt with 8 Brownings and they just fall out of the sky". The Browning's being the machine guns of the Hurricanes.

[@ralphbernhard1757]

Any combat unit, whether land, air or naval, is only as good as the logistics, and the entire resources of the nation behind it. This is often forgotten, and the tremendous advantages the Allies had often goes unmentioned while concentrating on the more interesting "man-against-man" or "machine-against-machine" battles. In East Africa, Italy was entirely cut off and every gallon of fuel, every round of ammo, every spare part and every replacement plane and pilot had to be flown in over the Sudan or hazardous merchant blockade breaker missions. Italy wasn't blessed with resources to start with, and once war started, it was merely a matter of bleeding the cut-off Italian units white (irrelevant of their numerical superiority).

[@Countdown70s]

"Any combat unit, whether land, air or naval, is only as good as the logistics, and the entire resources of the nation behind it." --I do not think it is quite that simple, or that no other factors come into play. For example, what logistics or resources was Japan's army in Burma for example given? Or maybe in New Guinea, too...although eventually defeated and almost wiped out, who else would have even achieved what they did achieve,while foraging bamboo shoots? Obviously there was some additional substance or ethos to those men, apart from being equal to whatever resources were fed into them..

[@quintonmanning7519]

Dear Tinus. My grandfather went over to help maintain the areoplanes in north Africa during WW2. His name was Thomas Henley Manning. Does anybody here remember such a name during ww2?

[@namelesscurmudgeon9794]

The late Captain Eric Brown RN (Fleet Air Arm chief test pilot) said that of the 380 different types of aircraft that he flew, the Gloster Gladiator was his favourite for the sheer joy of flying an aeroplane that did not have any vices.

[@towgod7985]

Very nicely done video!

[@stevenhaley443]

Excellent video from a little-known theatre.

[@Thegamer8324]

Well done man really nice job

[@davidparry1982]

I knew nothing of this - thanks for enlightening me 👍

[@gismofly2847]

Great annimation sequences. Brought it to life. Yeah, a bit one sided because you didn't even mention the RAF but the "Springboks" were heroes all. "Per Aspera ad Astra". See, you're not forgotten.

[@jsalbano]

this is a tragically overlooked but fascinating campaign, let's have more of these excellent videos on what is perhaps the most interesting air campaign of WWII.

[@PDXDrumr]

Part of WW2 I was was not as familair with. Thanks fir the video. Very good.

[@ChannelNotFound]

Damn those 45 Falco's were some hot piece of machinery.

[@oskareriksson2202]

In 1936 yes. In 1940 they was obsolete... Sad by an Italian.

[@MartinIDavies]

very nice piece covering an arcane part of WW2.. The South African and Rhodesians were arguably the best fighters in Africa in particular in North Africa. again showing their tenacity and effectiveness as special forces and pre-cursors to SAS,..

[@hassanabdikarimmohamed2505]

They werent the best fighters of africa..this title has already been given to the Somalis and at other occasion the Amazigh Berber pf north africa who are distantly related to Somalis

[@MartinIDavies]

@@hassanabdikarimmohamed2505 comparing savages with spears with modern mobile armies of sophisticated countless is pointless and incorrect

[@hassanabdikarimmohamed2505]

@@MartinIDavies you are a dimwitted parochial asinine fool It is a fact the south africans or the rhodesiana werent the best fighters in africa ..you must be really misinformed, let me apprise of the fact the Somalis inthe late 1890s and early 1900s dominated the east african arms trade (which mainly only involved arabs and Somalis)..despite the british, italian and French navies (who all controlled a portion of the Somali coastline) actively blocking any importation of fire arms to the Somali clans, they still manage to smuggle modern rifles into Somali in large quantities, mainly due to the independent northern Somali kingdoms facilitating this trade The Dervish movement was the longest anticolonial resistance movement in african history, lasting for 21 years, it's also called the Anglosomali war...all the British and Italian empire armies were defeated by the Dervish movement armies who were equipped with martini rifles and who utilised cavalry charges on european infantry Anyways, I mentioned this Dervish movement alone to prove to your parochial brain that Somalis were not the same spear wielding tribes you are familiar with such as the zulu..there is a reason the zulu resistance lasted for 6 months and the Anglosomali dervish movement lasted for 21 years..Somalis also are the only people in africa who defeated the Portuguese empire at the heigh of Portuguese power in the mid 1530s, the Adal Sultanate which was a Somali kingdom defeated the Portuguese empire musketeers and killed the brother of vasco da gama, roderigo da gama..in this conflict Somalis of the Adal Sultanate led by the famous Somali general who conquered all of Ethiopia for 14 years, became the first ro deeply cannons and match lock guns in the african continent (sub saharan africa excluding the north ottoman controlled parts) Also at the same time in the 1530s the portuguse empire was defeated in naval combat by the southern Somali kingdom called the Ajuran Empire Anyways ..I think I have more than sufficiently debunked your erroneous assertion that Somalis were merely primitive spear wielding tribes ...if that were the case Somalis wouldnt have been the first people to use guns and cannons in africa, or the first to defeat the Portuguese empire when it was the leading european superpower, not once but twice through wara with 2 independent kingdoms, Adal sultanate and Ajuran empire, and we certainly wouldnt have been the people who fought the longest anticolonial war in africa for 21 years regularly defeating the armies of not only the British empire but also the Italian empire

[@hassanabdikarimmohamed2505]

@@MartinIDavies oh my btw..the cherry on the cake is that it was the Somali Republic led by General Siad Barre, the closest ally of the Soviet Union in africa, who were the main african country in the 1970s to fund, train, and arm rebel movements in south africa and in rhodesia..Siad Barre when hosting the OAU meeting in Mogadishu during the 1970s, became the first african leader to invite Nelson Mandela and his party to attend the meeting as a recognised movement..Somali under Siad Barre during the 1970s also directly trained funded and armed the rebels in rhodesia Here are sources confirming Somalia in the 1970s was the main african country that had the capability to militarily support anti european rebel movements across africa especially in zambia south africa angola and Mozambique In their struggle against the Rhodesians, Zambia appealed to other African countries for military support. On 27 June 1977, President Kenneth David Kaunda speaking to a crowd of Zambians in Lusaka announced that Somalia's armed forces were prepared to aid his country against the Rhodesians.[59] Somali Air Force pilots stood on standby to fly Zambian MiGs in case of a war.[60] Rebel assistance and government partnership in South AfricaEdit Although Siad Barre's administration was noted throughout its existence for its emphasis on Somalia's traditional ties with the Arab world, eventually joining the Arab League (AL) in 1974,[61] it also initially adhered to a populist communist philosophy. Consequently, Barre's regime lent support to various anti-colonial movements, including the rebellion in South Africa against that country's then-ruling apartheid government. As chairman of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1974, a rotating seat, Barre invited the ANC as an equal member and gave them a platform to have their voices heard. Barre's government also trained South African guerillas and gave them access to military hardware and naval assets.[62] It surely gives me immense pleasure in knowing that my native country Somalia played an integral part in dislodging your european cousins from their hegemony in rhodesia and south africa 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂stay bitter salty and mad

[@philipjooste9075]

@@hassanabdikarimmohamed2505 And how are things in Somalia these days?

[@jamiegrover3181]

Great video. Thanks for the education of the conflict and SAAF

[@j1bc]

Really excellent work

[@KateLicker]

there is an old obscure b/w war-movie about the South Africans in Kenya/Ethiopia/Somaliland campaign, in one scene what looks a little like a CR42 bombs a fort..I hunted down the title of the movie in imdb/Wiki one day, but now it is long forgotten again..

[@NeillPhillips]

Interesting. This is a part of WW2 I knew nothing about. Thanks for sharing.

[@KateLicker]

3 RAAF were also in this campaign, in Gauntlets, I think.. interesting hotch-potch of airplanes in SAAF force...even Harts and 'Hartebeest, lol...is that a cross between a Hart/Demon and a Wilderbeest? I could not even identify the slender twin-tail bomber from its pics at first, a JU86 never occurred to me...it reminded me of a G3M Mitsubishi..but them I've seen a lot of footage of, over China/Burma /Malaya.

[@Countdown70s]

Were not the Australians 3 Squadron in East Africa, in maybe not even Gladiators, but it's direct predecessor the Gauntlet open-cockpit Gladiator?

[@albertschultz7151]

Dankie, be nice to see more of SA`s contribution to both WW1 / 2.

[@andressini3057]

at minute 4:04 what type of plane is in the photo?? because i can`t figure out!!! and i becoming crazy about this!!! anyone out there could help me!!?? thanks!!!

[@carlthecoworker5596]

Simply A Spitfire Canopy :) Probably A Spit Mk. 1

[@andressini3057]

mm no! definitively is not a spitfire canopy,mmm maybe look like but not a "real" spitfire canopy and the windscreen is also very diferent!! , i`m still looking for this details! about this video! jajaj anyway thanks for the reply!

[@carlthecoworker5596]

Hmm, I'll Try To Look Into It More, Anyways, You're Welcome :)

[@NicoAviation]

From the canopy profile and the way the frames slant forward, I'd say it's a Fairey Battle.

[@andressini3057]

mmm maybe! thanks Nicholas!!!

[@aschmann6743]

My oupa was in ww2 bomber (tail gunner) he passed away last year

[@sarsanch]

Good great video!

[@jamesw9933]

I had family fight in East and North Africa

[@bbrut3332]

Well written and very good information of tha SSAF. Thank you .

[@old_guard2431]

Well done. Biplanes in East Africa. . . There was a lot more to this war than most of us realize.

[@stuartgregory6848]

God Bless the SAAF in WWII, and that's coming from a Brit.

[@thenewbiegamer6003]

Whats SAAF pls tell me

[@thenewbiegamer6003]

Never mind sorry

[@stuartgregory6848]

@@thenewbiegamer6003 It's all good, take care.

[@Siddich]

ahm…god bless the bavarian cavalry…and thats comming from a german…

[@cf6282]

I was aware of the Italian activities in Africa. Did not know what actually happened. You explained it nicely.

[@KateLicker]

nice one on little-known but interesting WW2 side-show..

[@gospelfilms7942]

Love the old SAAF roundel!

[@naytun2407]

Nice video.

[@carlosteran8114]

very nice job.

[@stevensonDonnie]

It blows my mind that the JU-86 were used by the SAAF and the Fairly Battle found a home.

[@pallen2980]

Not sure I'd call 1940 Italy a "superpower".

[@philipjooste9075]

In comparison to South Africa, they certainly were.

[@IrishAmerican17]

What they did to Ethiopia was abhorrent. Their technological advantage, even using poison gas, over a country that still used swords and spears is unjustifiable.

[@lupusdeum3894]

Well done! Thanks!

[@brettsessums718]

Hey man, I am currently writing a book about South Africa in World War II and I was wondering if I could use some of the information from your videos as long as I document them and not me them. No worries I haven't written anything yet about the air war South Africa was in in WW2. Please get back to me as soon as you can but I know you must be busy. Sincerely, Brett Sessums

[@TinusleRouxRSA]

Very exciting: off course you can! Please email me and i will give you loads of photos and info: [e-mail]

[@brettsessums718]

Tinus le Roux thanks again!! Thanks so much!! I just sent you an e-mail!!!

[@scottybottorff6259]

Wonder how these men would feel if they knew what britain,US and the african national congress was going to do to the afrikaner population

[@therealmrfishpaste]

+SCOTTY BOTTORFF And what were they going to do to the Afrikaaners?...anyways, not many Afrikaaners fought in WW2: they still fostered a dislike of the English and hence many refused to fight alongside them...indeed many Afrikaners were Nazi Sympathisers during the war.

[@adrianlarkins7259]

+therealmrfishpaste That is not true. There were plenty Afrikaaners who fought against the Nazis. There was also a hard Nationalist side that was anti Brit and some were pro Nazi. They were locked up by Smuts.

[@therealmrfishpaste]

Afrikaners were noticeably proportionally under-represented...and the war years constituted a period of significant hardening of Afrikaner Nationalism...it's no coincidence that the NP took power in 1948 (the next general election after the war.)

[@adrianlarkins7259]

Where do you get your info saying the Afrikaaner was underrepresented? Van de Merwe did his bit up in North Africa. As you may gather you are not corresponding with an armchair speialist, There are many, many Afrikaaners to this day who regret the Nats getting into power in 1948. Without them Apartheid would never have occured and the history of SA may have been very different.

[@therealmrfishpaste]

I'm not saying that no Afrikaners served, just that a lot refused, and many actively opposed involvement in the war and those who did serve received flak and sometimes ostracisation for serving in the war...and it was always perceived as an Englishman's war....I'm also not saying that all Afrikaners supported Apartheid...indeed in terms of numbers, the NP didn't get a 50% majority in 1948, they only won the first couple of elections because rural constituencies were more heavily weighted than urban ones, however the war (and the involvement of non-whites in it, as well as the problems with demobilisation of troops) did serve to influence moderate Afrikaners in favour of the NP....as for my sources...recollections of my studies (in South African History) and anecdotal interactions (I am South African) with older generations.

[@S62bhas]

Excellent Job I'd like to volunteer for the SAAF

[@jonnybeck6723]

Nicely done!... not straight out of the box I'll wager...

[@fredrictengstrom5646]

dear mr Fernando. i do agree

[@ianwright40]

Good job.

[@wmdayman]

Great film

[@baragaol]

w mussolini!we dreamed one big east efrica under italy.

[@michaelochido3244]

From Kenya East Africa One big Italy in East Africa was never going to happen...we still love your beautiful church built in the rift valley and spaghetti though....!

[@gospelfilms7942]

Baie dankie!

[@nictdpd211]

I play as the SAAF 1st squadron in a ww2 game. I fly a P-40 C Tomahawk. Lovely plane.

[@terranceperkins9656]

Play??? Do it for real no pause button.

[@thinkcivil1627]

Italy was not the military power that Hitler hoped they would be, and he was forced to divert aid to that area during a time when Germany already was fighting on 2 fronts. It turned out to be very fortunate for the Allies, even though taking that area was costly enough.

[@giulianoilfilosofo7927]

Hitler knew Italy would have been ready for war only in 1942, but he still decided to push into Poland in 1939 because he feared Allied rearmament outpacing his own.

[@thinkcivil1627]

@@giulianoilfilosofo7927 The Italian army, on paper anyway, should have been more than capable of not having Hitler come to their aid like was needed, and I don't think that the Italian people had the resolve to fight such a drawn-out war for the reasons given. Just my opinion. There were a lot of mistakes made by Hitler, who was way too involved in military planning during that war. After signing a peace treaty with Russia, and carving up Poland with them, he invaded Russia and did what he said he feared the most. Which was to have to fight a war on 2 fronts. The time of year he invaded Russia was another, as well as calling back a division who were so close to Moscow that they could see the domes of the towers shining in the sun and sending them so far away to help out another division when the Russian army was not prepared for the proper defense of that city. By the time the division was back in position, the weather turned on them and Stalin was given time to prepare for the invasion. Stalingrad was another huge mistake, again driven by Hitler's meddling when it was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

[@denniscashell2407]

Imagine where we are today

[@TH3PLA1NP1L0T]

you know, Roald Dahl fought in africa using a Hurricane

[@cf6282]

TH3 PLA1NP1L0T He was trained in Kenia had a severe crash en route to Libya. Saw action in Greece and Palestine. He was discharged in 1941 as a result of the injuries sustained in the crash in Libya. He wrote a book on it which I read a long time ago. Had to check Wikipedia for the details.

[@williampatience9524]

Why didn't England send the lend lease planes like the P39s and P40s.Even the Brewster Buffaloes could of defeated the Italians.

[@giulianoilfilosofo7927]

Those Italian fighters certainly, but England needed the Good stuff against the more modern Italian Fighters in North Africa and the Luftwaffe.

[@Countdown70s]

something in a bit more depth on same subject would be good..

[@rudolphkotzenberg8176]

South African victory in East Africa was prob not significant in the greater sceme of the war. However it was the first Alied campaign victory of WW2. Afact to be proud of and should have been mentioned !!

[@ryanschofield2018]

That is a silly statement, grand results are achieved on marginal victories. Every victory counted in that campaign, and that conflict required 110% effort for that result.

[@thembahlophe6656]

Wow🇿🇦

[@Countdown70s]

I did have to laugh at the assertion 'they defeated a superpower"...Fascist Italy, a superpower? lol..Italy's only natural advantages that I can see, were shorter lines of communication and geography, as far as North or East Africa goes...anyway, the normal pattern throughout their war on the German side, was for large forces to be routed by ones a fraction of their own size, such as happened Beda Fomm, Bardia, East Africa etc.. But, of course, that same thing happened to the Allies both Eastern and Western, both vs Germany and vs Japan, for first years of war.

[@cf6282]

Countdown70s You might want to read Sun Tzu the Art of war. He was a Chinese general who described the basic rules of warfare. First strike with an overwhelming force seems to do it. The Japanese did the same. I guess the Duce thought the Abyssinian campaign would be an easy one. Impressive to see the South Africans turned the tables on them. I never knew it was done that way. One hell of a story!

[@ryanschofield2018]

Italy did not perform well under Italian leadership initially, however, German Field Marshal Rommel displayed what good leadership can do when he commanded Italian troops in North Africa. nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/fact-italy-was-world-war-ii-battleship-superpower-175541

[@towgod7985]

Shockingly Accurate video, I mean SHOCKINGLY ACCURATE.

[@crafter170]

Tough men .

[@mihaildudarov3425]

A new sight of this part of the Second World War!

[@beaconrider]

Italy was a super power?

[@grafo-2671]

Compared to Africa, yes. In the first months of war, Italy had a very good army, navy and air force.

[@beaconrider]

+Claudio AS Which did quite well when they fought against tribesmen only one step from the stone age. If they had been given better leadership they might have given a better account of themselves.

[@bezalel5421]

+beaconrider LOL, I was a bit confused by that. I was wandering, which super power he meant.

[@giulianoilfilosofo7927]

@@beaconrider Stone Age? Like the Zulus who owned the Brita in Isandlwana?

[@benvandermerwe4934]

👏🏻🍻🇿🇦

[@barryirlandi4217]

Very interesting... And sad... That the brave Boars would fight and die for the British..

[@10causa]

LIchutki ten filmik , do tego z przekłamaniami.

[@mmmbeachlover]

Aren't South Africans (white and male ones) absolutely fantastic.

[@ohshiet2766]

South African white? Ahahahahahahah good one South Africans are black I’m white myself and so called white South Africans need to stop thinking they African they are European

[@TheMedicalDemon]

jislaik madiba wouldn’t like this.

[@fabiosunspot1112]

The Italians simply couldn't win any battles in ww2 because of bad training and command, Italy had huge amounts of tanks planes ships heavy guns and men but were untrained in modern warfare, they also never had the stomach for fighting...

[@bubiruski8067]

Neat footage ! Strange only that the English never declared war on bastard Mussolini. Reason could be that Mussolini was on the pay list of MI5 before. Sad also that the brave Boer pilots fought for English as enslaved soldiers.

[@steveburton9242]

Enslaved?

[@bubiruski8067]

@@steveburton9242 Nobody can believe that a proud Boer joins the English looters freely.

[@henrykinssinger4203]

Since when was SA a super power?

[@2566Conan]

No you clearly didn’t listen, it said it fought a super power, at the time Italy was seen as such.

[@trapptowers6368]

CARTOONS

[@fernandotordi3818]

This documentary contains many exaggerations and falsehoods. In this war the Italian troops were totally isolated, each aircraft was lost in a plane less. While the British and their allies were receiving constant reinforcements.It is not true that the Italian pilots were all veterans of the Spanish Civil War. Many had just two or three months of training.The Italian fighter interceptors were the old biplanes Fiat Cr 42 and also the very old Fiat Cr 32 The British had the Gloster Gladiator (similar to the Fiat Cr 42), but also the very strong (for CR42) Hurricane. The super power was Britain not Italy. Unfortunately at that time Mussolini ruled that it was just an idiot and did not know anything about the rest of the world

[@TinusleRouxRSA]

Hi Fernando; I do not think there are exaggerations or falsehoods in the movie. It was said in the movie that MANY Italian pilots had combat experience and not ALL as you claim and thus not a falsehood because many Italian pilots did participate in the Spanish civil war and then served in E Africa. Remember that not a single SAAF pilot had any combat experience when hostilities started. Italy was a super power because it had a massive independent industry, many occupied states in Africa and massive armies in those states before the war broke out. South Africa was minute in that respect. South Africa also send very old and outdated aircraft for combat in E Africa ie the slow and cumbersome Hawker Hartebeest (Hart variant). Many were shot down by Fiats. It is not only the Italians who used ancient aircraft for combat duty but SAAF as well. In the movie much credit is given to the CR-42. The Hurricanes only entered this campaign at a later stage and in the beginning it was mainly CR-42 vs Gladiator. In my opinion the CR-42 was the better fighter aircraft between the two. Remember that in 1940 and early 1941 Britain was busy to survive the onslaught in Europe and could not support properly the fight in Italy. South Africa only had 1 fighter squadron operational in the beginning with very primitive support but became better as the war progressed. Yes it is true that Italian forces in East Africa became isolated as the war progressed but this fact is not denied in the documentary and thus not a falsehood.

[@Piriponzolo]

Tinus le Roux Hi, Tinus! I understand that yours is an interesting tribute to SAAF in East Africa,but there are some not precise indications in your reply to Fernando. Italy in comparison with G.B. was not a superpower and I'm sure that you know the conditions of technical backwardness of Italian industries and Armed Forces before and during W.W. II. Beteween 1940 and 1941 G.B. supported very well miitary operations in Libya (see The Operation Compass, for example) against Italian Army and in the Mediterranean against Italian Navy. And all this thanks to the supplies from each edge of the British Empire, which was greatly enormous in comparison with the Italian East Africa, combined by 3 desolate states only: Erithrea, Somalia ad Ethiopia, and not "many occupied states" as you typed. Anyway, I like your documentary! Ciao

[@TinusleRouxRSA]

Hi Piriponzolo. Thanks for your reply and complement. Please note that in the film it is about the South African Air Force which was an independent entity and not part of the RAF. In the movie the comparison was between South Africa and Italy and hence Italy is seen as a super power. In my opinion if a country has 5 occupied states in a continent then it can be considered as "many". That is the amount that Italy possessed in 1940.(Libya, Somalia, British Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia) they also invaded and tried to occupy 3 more countries in Africa but was unsuccessful.(Sudan, Kenya, Egypt) In my opinion every single accusation of "falsehoods" by Fernando tordi to my movie have now been proved as ungrounded arguments. Fernando must not forget that Italy was the aggressor in Africa with a superior force but got solidly beaten up by a much smaller force. It is of no use then to try and make excuses why they have lost; logistics, supplies, etc. is part of a war effort.

[@Piriponzolo]

Tinus le Roux Thanks for your reply. However I think you're making a tiny little sin: I think it would be better not to enlarge beyond measure the ability of the adversary in order to highlight the skill of the winner, otherwise it flows into the sea of propaganda and not of historical truth . It was clear even then the superiority of Great Britain against Italy. But the fact that you consider Italy in 1940 as a superpower compared to South Africa in 1940, it's not exact, because South Africa was not yet an independent state in 1940, but a colony of Great Britain, although the SAAF, as you say, was an independent entity, but always subjected to the orders of Sir Archibald Wavell, supreme commander of British forces in the Middle East. Your tribute to the SAAF is beautiful and valuable, as well as I appreciate your desire for closeness to those South African pilots who fought against the Italian pilots and soldiers, for whom I also have the same feelings of admiration. The national spirit can sometimes prevail, but we must never forget for the sake of historical truth, the real conditions that led to the occurrence of those historical events. Even the great historian Basil Liddell Hart pointed out in his works the state of unpreparedness of the Italian armed forces before the outbreak of war. So, Italy cannot be considered as a superpower in 1940. There's no doubt that South African and Italian pilots were great fighters!

[@TinusleRouxRSA]

Piriponzolo Thanks again for the reply. You made a small mistake: South Africa was not a colony of G.B. it was a total Sovereign state in 1940. It had its own political parties and it had to do a parliament vote weather to join Britain in the war. You are welcome to check out these facts in wiki. Again then seen from South African point of view Italy was a superpower. Of course when joining the fight against Italy it had the full support of G.B. and subject to upper command. The day to day operations of the squadrons that did the fighting was done by South Africans and independent of Sir Archibald's input. I still feel that to say that the film is full of falsehoods is not true. All numerical figures were obtained from two independent history books by Schoeman and Orpen. I see Mr Tony Cagnoni made a comment about Cr-42's and CR-32's. I do not disagree with his comments but in the film the figures include all aircraft of war including bombers and transports...no where in the film is said that the figures only represent fighters? But please do not be mistaken: the South Africans had the deepest of respect for the brave Italian pilots. Especially at the end when the tide has turned and the numbers of Italian serviceable aircraft were diminished, the Italian pilots still took of to face huge numbers of SA machines. It is recorded that a SA unit commander send a special note to the Italian commander mentioning the courage of an Italian pilot that was shot down and killed. :) Regarding the suggestion that I have "enlarge the adversary beyond measurable ability in order to highlight the skill of the winner" These are the facts: 1940: Italian army in East Africa: 350 000. Allied: 21 000 The figures of aircraft: Italians had 5 fighter units (squadrons), 14 bomber/transport units, 1 reconnaissance unit. 51 Disassembled aircraft were flown in during the campaign, more replacements than the South Africans had. The SA forces were minute to these figures. The superior Italian figures are not made up as you suggest I did, please check your history books.:)